Using Pictures to Develop Oral Language Skills

The early childhood years are so important for developing oral language skills. This is an easy, no-prep activity to help develop oral language skills.

Some sources say that between the ages two and six children learn approximately ten words a day. Often times they learn these new words by only hearing them once of twice, even. It is incredible the capability children have in their early years to learn language.

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Materials for oral language activity

For this activity all you really need is a set of colorful images that are of interest to you child. I have used and recommend the following sets:

I also own a few of the following sets of picture cards, and use it frequently in my preschool class as a supplement to my oral language lesson plans. They a designed specifically for autism education, but I have found the set excellent as it has duplicates of some photos so children can make matches. In addition to that, some of the photo cards are set in small subcategories, so children also get practice in naming and matching like items, such as an Oreo cookie and a sugar cookie.

Using pictures to develop oral language

For this activity I gave each child a picture card from one of the above sets. I allowed sometime for the student to simply enjoy the photo, and if they chose talk as they looked at the photo, that way ok, too. This was a good opportunity for me to work one on one with each student, which was especially important if the child was given a card with a less familiar picture. For example, a picture of a goose might be less easy to recognize than a picture of a duck.

After giving the children some time, I invited each child to share with the preschool class what their picture was. I prompted the children to share the details of their picture. Each child shared details like colors in their picture, textures, and things the picture reminded them of. If the student wanted to share a personal story, I encouraged it.

For more oral language activities

To find this activity and several ways to expand it, as well as 140 other oral language activities, see my complete yearly oral language lesson plans designed specifically for children ages three to five years. It includes everything you need to teach oral language skills for an entire year.